Ellie (Eleanor) and Samantha (Sam) were identical twins. People looked at them -- a lot -- just because they were twins. Whether the result of environment or circumstances, each had her own personality; yet as twins, they were never one; one was the other and the other was the first. They were an important commodity, and soon the Logan twins were cast as the star/stars of a TV series, two girls playing one part as if to mirror their own existence. Unfortunately, twins, while valuable as children, stop being appealing as grown-ups.
The story is told in a first-person narrative by Sam. She shares her present and her past with readers, going back and forth in time. Sam shares the hang-ups, problems, and general annoyances thrust upon her by society simply because of the unique quality of her birth. Sam is thirty-two years old, sleeps on a futon, and is still crawling her way back after losing most everything. She still has her looks, some interesting tattoos, a generous AA sponsor, and employment at a trendy café popular on social media. She finds that her twin Ellie is getting a divorce and is incommunicado. Their parents are taking care of Charlotte. Who?? Charlotte is Sam’ niece, two years old, adopted by Ellie. It would be easy to leave the problem of Charlotte for her parents to solve, but Sam cannot abandon her sister. Ellie has gone to an exclusive retreat spa in Ojai, GenFem, but this turns out to be much more than just a week at an expensive women’s resort. There are problems with GenFem, very big problems, and her sister is in the middle of them.
The story unfolds at a leisure pace with lots of little clues sprinkled throughout the narrative like the crumbs in a fairy tale; they lead down a path, but the path does not go where Sam thought it would take her. The story grows in intensity, and Sam discovers the unthinkable. She has to decide what to do next, and that is a decision that changes everything and everyone.
I received a review copy of “I'll Be You” from Janelle Brown and Random House Publishing Group. It is about family dynamics, complex moral challenges, control, and two individuals inseparably bonded from birth.
“I'll Be You” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books.

3.75 STARS

Janelle Brown introduces readers to Sam and Elli, identical twin sisters, whose primary commonality begins and ends with their physical characteristics. While, at a young age, Sam embraces the illusion of becoming a Hollywood Star, Elli begrudgingly goes along for the ride if only to ensure Sam’s success.

Fast-forward a little more than a decade and Sam, having not accomplished her dream, evolves into a self-destructive addict, while Elli happily settles into life as a wife, homemaker, and moderately successful entrepreneur.

Sam eventually maintains her sobriety, in an attempt to resurrect some form of normality, about the time she discovers Elli has disappeared and fears her beloved but estranged twin has become enamored with an all-female cult.

I can’t honestly say that I found the novel gripping. For me, there were a few issues with the plot, flow, and character development. I felt had the cult been a bit more threatening, the ending not quite so tidy, and the circumstances a bit more believable, the story would have drawn me in. However, those who enjoy family drama and unconditional devotion, as well as a slow-burn mystery, will probably enjoy I'LL BE YOU. Because I thought the novel had its redeeming moments, I hope to read other books by Ms. Brown. Much appreciation to the author, Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC.

family related thriller? this is a go to!!! haven’t read a family related thriller in a long time and this gave it a great satisfaction!

So, I picked up this book because of al the buzz around it.

Sam and Elli are twins. They become twin tv stars but it is clear one is more interested in show biz than the other. As thy get older, Sam takes being out of showbiz harder and turns to alcohol and drugs whereas Elli goes on to live a normal life: job, marriage, etc. However, Sam is called and told to come watch Elli's daughter since she is away at a retreat. Sam wasn't even aware she had a daughter but they have been estranged since her last rehab stint. As Sam begins to bond with her niece and await her sister's return, she begins to find out that her sister had secrets. Where is she? Why isn't she returning? Sam begins to dig through her sister's life to find out who Elli really is.

This was a complete miss for me. I loved the premise of it: twins who have a connection and the one twin essentially knows something is wrong and has to find the other. But this book was so cliché. Showbiz twins, twins that take on each other's personas, cults, missing children. The premise WAS there but then in the second half, it truly went crazy and ended up like a strange soap opera. In my opinion, the worst part of the book was the ending. Are people not held accountable for their actions? Do we have no consequences for our life choices? Unfortunately, you will have to sit through this horrible book in order to find out the awful ending.

I found myself glued to this story right away! It kept me guessing, and had some brilliant twists. I highly recommend this book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was not an unputdownable, edge-of-your-seat, “can’t go to sleep till finished” type of book, but it was enjoyable and it was worth definitely worth the read. All in all, a solid read if not life altering. But do we always need those? Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC opportunity !

I’ll Be You is the story of twin child stars that are trying to make their way into adulthood after fame fades away. As children, Sam and Elli are as close as can be despite their personality differences. Sam is the wild one. She has been trying hard to get her life on track after battling long standing substance abuse problems. Elli, has aspired to have the perfect husband and perfect life. After dealing with infertility, she gets caught up in a cult disguised as a self help group for women. When Sam is called in to help her parents while Elli is away at a “spa” she begins to fear that Elli is caught up in something she cannot escape. Sam begins to find purpose in finding out the truth of Elli’s whereabouts.
This was a very fun and quick read! Perfect summer read for the beach! It’ll leave you trying to solve a mystery and rooting for family to come together.
*huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

After growing up at identical halves twins who have mastered the art of switching places yet they have grown up to be entirely different people. When life becomes a challenge and their lives are thrown off axis they swap places and the worst things happen. another thrilling mysterious novel by Brown.

The depth and darkness of a twin's relationship is deftly explored within a propulsive plot. This novel will capture your interest and keep you guessing as it careens to the end.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This one was a very weird read in my opinion! And I don't mind weird at all. I love books about twins and I love books about cultish things so it was a good recipe from the start. I think it got a little too unbelievable at times which is my only real complaint, other than at some points it was too slow and I got bored.

I want to read Brown's other novel to get a better overall picture of her writing. This one was intriguing but choppy at times.

3 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Janelle Brown for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first novel by this author, but it will not be my last. I was instantly immersed into this story and the twins relationship. I loved the twists and even if you guess some of it, you can’t predict what happens next! The cult aspect was well done in that it wasn’t the entire focus and the ending was perfect!

Pretty Things was my favorite book of 2020, so I was more than excited to read I'll Be You. And the premise will make every aspiring writer jealous. Identical twins grow up in Los Angeles, where they play the same role on a TV show in typical Hollywood fashion. One adores the vagabond creative actors' life; the other detests it. The actress, Sam, goes the familiar young actor-in-Hollywood way, booze, drugs, roles drying up. The other, Elli, finally free of the acting lifestyle, gets married, opens a flower shop, and leads idyllic but ordinary existence.
Until it all comes tumbling down. And the irresponsible twin is left to pick up the pieces.

This book has everything: a deep understanding of the envy, the love, the co-dependency of twin sisters, where love is ingrained in the sisterhood, but is then buried and forgotten by huge misunderstandings, a twisted need to belong, a trust that is overlooked, and exasperation that can only come from knowing another too well. Then we have that juicy Hollywood sheen, trashy and entertaining, and Spoiler Alert, a cult!

And, that is not all: in the midst of all this, there is a three-year-old girl, left behind by her mother, now the burden for the former drug addict.

I love these sorts of upmarket thrillers that skew all genre rules. Because, of course, the heart of this novel pumps on the mystery of Elli's disappearance, and we have Sam (!) playing detective, looking for clues, even going out of state on the hunt for her lost sister.

It is tense, moving, and insightful; the plot is masterful, and the characterization of this novel is, like it was in Pretty Things, out of this world. And I haven't read a more satisfying ending in a while.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Sam and Elli are identical twins. At a young age, they are discovered by a talent agent and signed to TV deal. They alternate playing the young daughter of a cop and then killed off in the 5th season. They stop acting for a short time and then Sam convinces Elli to give it another go and they are signed to a show playing twins. The TV series lasts a few years and then ends when Elli says she cannot continue to act. She hates it. Sam thrives in it. So starts the splintering of their lives together.

College comes and college goes, Sam drops out and tries to make a career in acting. Elli goes and becomes the perfect wife and starts a floral business. However, Sam's spiral down the hole of drugs and alcohol continues to splinter the relationship with her sister.

Elli's marriage falls apart as Elli adopts a little girl. One night, their parents call Sam and ask for help. Elli has dropped off the daughter and went away to a spa and they need help caring for the little girl. However, when the time of the spa is over, and Elli still has not returned, Sam decides she needs to figure out exactly where her sister is and what is going on.

This book is a non-stop, cannot put down thriller of trying to figure out which turn is next and what is really going on.

I need more books from this author - STAT!!!!!

This is my second Janelle Brown novel, and I have to say that she is on fire. I absolutely love the way she writes and how she pulls me into a story, making me feel like I'm write there with the characters.

This novel has a little bit of everything: twin sisters that have sometimes switch places, the lives of child actors and how quickly those lives can fall apart, a sister who has fallen from grace, and my new favorite thing: cults.

I loved the back and forth not just between the past and present, but also between Sam, the sister who falls from grace, and Ellie, the sister who disappears. Sam took the story far, and then Ellie took a turn and colored in the pictures for me. I was absolutely blown away at the end of Sam's turn, and I loved getting to dive into Ellie's brain and find out exactly what had happened to her.

I absolutely loved this story, and I was so disappointed when it was over and I had to say goodbye to the twins. It's a reminder that you can reach rock bottom and manage to claw yourself out of it. Definitely a person pool read.

This one wasn't bad. In fact, I was enjoying it very much until I checked how much time I had left in the book. Halfway.

I was like... no... I can't only be halfway done? For some reason, after that it kind of dragged out. I liked the POV change but I really enjoyed the first half way more. The ending cleaned up a bit too nicely.

I forgot this one was about cults and for some reason, that is just not my thing. I'm not dinging points for that, but I just can't get into the cult plot.

I loved that this was about twins since I am one as well. And I was even more glad that, no matter how similar they may look, there is no way a spouse can't not tell them apart. So glad that was realistic because some books do it so poorly.

Overall, I will still read others by this author, this one just fell a little flat for me.

This book is amazing! There are a lot of issues happening here as it is a very multi layered story. We have twins, a cult, addiction, Hollywood and more. The amount of research this book would have taken must have been immense. This author is one of my auto read authors and I think her books are getting more complex and more intriguing with each book. I have loved all her books and I am awed by how much she keeps raising the bar with every new one. I have a Netgalley copy but I will be buying the physical book to add to my collection! This book is on sale now!!

I feel like I’m going to be in the minority here, but this was an odd, unrealistic story. I just couldn’t connect. I struggled each time I tried to read.

Cults aren’t a favorite theme of mine, so maybe that was part of the problem.

*4 stars +

Samantha Logan, former child star and recovering addict, hasn't spoken to her twin sister, Eleanor, in over a year when their mother asks for her help taking care of Charlotte. Who's Charlotte? she asks. It appears Elli has adopted a little girl recently and has gone off on a retreat for a break. But when a weekend turns into a week and then more and Elli is unreachable by phone, Sam begins to get suspicious and worried. What has her sister gotten herself involved in?

There's an intriguing mystery here which I really enjoyed. But the real gem of this novel is the insightful look into the relationship between twins. Nature vs nurture. Life choices. Can they become distinct individuals without losing that inherent closeness? And how responsible is one for a sibling? Sam, the first-born, is a flawed person but she's such a kick, the bolder of the two sisters. Elli is also flawed in her own way--she has been too much of a people-pleaser, a follower. So who would have expected her to do what she's done now?

I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity. I apologize for the delay in publishing this review.

The plot sounded so interesting – a thriller with identical twins and one joining a cult, sign me up! The book was told in three parts – parts 1 and 3 narrated by Sam and part 2 narrated by Elli. I really enjoyed part one, which was basically “Sam’s story” but that’s about it. It was a slow burn, very repetitive, and not a thriller at all. There was no suspense, I would describe it more as a family drama. Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me at all.

A huge thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this advance copy. This is about Sam and Elli who are identical twins that switch roles when it's convenient for them. Starting with their acting career in a popular series. Only, as they grow older, Sam ends up getting addicted to drugs and alcohol, while Elli is perceived as the "good" twin.
They have a falling out and don't speak for over a year, until their parents need Sam's help with her adopted daughter. Honestly, the book kind of dragged for me and didn't hold my attention. It became very word without advancing the plot so it was a struggle to finish.
#ARC #netgalley